by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
It is no longer necessary to have a special event to enjoy the fare prepared by Anthony’s Gourmet Catering.
The offsite caterer is now managing Currents Riverview Bistro in the Aetna Building on the Southbank, so fans of their freshly-made dishes can enjoy them for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Stoddard’s normally nomadic business has served guests from the Golden Isles of Georgia to the World Golf Village since the mid-1980s and they are excited about the new opportunity.
“Running a restaurant is a lot more time consuming,” said Shawn Stoddard, “but it is rewarding. We get to see people more and develop a relationship, whereas with catering you are there and then you are gone. Having a restaurant also gives us the opportunity to grow the catering business here and at other locations.”
Some of those new locations are just down the hall from their restaurant. Three conference rooms are on the second floor of the Aetna building and available for business lunches or seminars that can be catered by Anthony’s. The recently renovated bistro is open to the public with free parking in the garage adjacent to the building.
South Shore Group owns the Aetna building and is pleased to get the catering company into the building.
“We always thought Anthony’s was one of the premier catering services in town, having used them for events at the building,” said Betsy Reichert, vice president of South Shore Group, the owner of the building. “When we thought about bringing in a local company to run the restaurant, we immediately thought of Mark and Shawn (Stoddard).”
The Stoddards aren’t only welcoming customers with free parking, but also fresh food and changes to the design of the bistro.
“It was very institutional looking when we first got in here,” said Tim Stoddard, Shawn’s dad and partner. “We wanted to create a warmer, more welcoming environment; more French market bistro.”
This idea is displayed through floral arrangements and canopies that create the bistro look and feel. A canopy hangs above the coffee station, which is preceded by a station that offers hot and cold cereal and fruit in the morning and soup and chili in the afternoon. Juices and soft drinks are next to a salad station on the other side of the room. Farther down the cafeteria is a pizza station where the pizzas are made to order. It appears to be a popular station, as they were sold out by 1 p.m. one recent afternoon.
Next up are the special stations. The bistro offers specials for each day of the week which don’t change throughout the month, so people can become familiar with the days their favorites are offered, and there are also weekly specials that will change each week. Comfort foods like meat loaf and pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy are part of the daily specials.
A sushi station will be stocked with choices made fresh on the premises. The grill can satisfy burger and barbecue cravings and the sandwich station serves up Boars Head cold cuts. If these stations aren’t enough to fill people up, there’s a selection of made-from-scratch desert items including cakes, puddings and brownies.
The Stoddards are looking forward to their new opportunity, but they know it’s a different business than what they are used to.
“When comparing catering to the restaurant, the biggest difference is getting the people to come,” said Tim Stoddard. “Off-premise you know how many people you are serving. With a restaurant, if people don’t come you could have a big loss of food.”
Anthony’s Gourmet Catering has developed a reputation for providing quality meals for the last 20 years and they believe the same practices they have used to build that business can benefit their latest endeavor.
“In order to be successful you have to have really good food, excellent service and great presentation,” said Tim. “We will strive to provide that here at the bistro.”
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